I knew this was on the 2015 Costa Children’s Book Award shortlist, so it’s fair to say I was expecting it to be pretty good. In fact, it went far beyond my expectations and I was gripped from the very beginning.
I told myself I’d read the first page of each of the four books on the shortlist, and this happened to be the book on the top of the pile… and you guessed it. I read the first page, then the second, then before I knew it, I was well into the book! It is a truly brilliantly written novel and every single word has importance. It is not full of flowery description but is straight to the point, and in an odd way, this seemed to be more valuable than heavy description as it left a lot to the imagination of the reader, which I really liked.
Jessica’s Ghost begins by focusing on a boy named Francis. He’s not into games or fighting, but he likes sewing clothes, which doesn’t fit the stereotype. He’s constantly teased at school about his odd hobby, and things are getting pretty tough when he meets Jessica. Jessica – as you might have expected – is a ghost. And Francis seems to be the only one who can hear and see her. There is something strange which is connecting them both, and neither of them understands what it might be. But as more and more people say they can hear and see Jessica, their link is revealed.
This is a really fascinating story which is completely unique and original. It was nice to read something fresh: Jessica can do things the typical ghost can do, like go through walls and float in the air, but she can do other things like think of an outfit and suddenly she’s wearing it. This neat little trick comes in handy for Francis, who uses her to model his designs and ideas. Jessica as a character is really interesting. She’s clever and sharp and perceptive, as well as dreamy and beautiful. It’s horrible that she died so young but to the reader it almost seems as if she hasn’t died at all as she’s so much like an ordinary girl.
I really did become attached to the characters in the novel, Francis especially. He started off as a lonely, slightly odd boy but by the end he was surrounded by friends who accepted him for who he was and didn’t mind that he wasn’t quite ordinary. The message conveyed by this book is really powerful, and it deals with a rather delicate subject which is all too real in this day and age. I finished this book feeling inspired and uplifted.
I really enjoyed reading this novel. It definitely deserves to be on the 2015 Costa Children’s Book Award Shortlist. I haven’t read the other books on the shortlist yet, so I can’t say if I think it will win, but it is such an original, powerful, and brilliantly written book so I think it should definitely have a good chance of winning the award.
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